Accor to service local apartments

JAKARTA (JP): PT Ometraco Realty, a private property firm, yesterday assigned Accor Asia Pacific, an Australian affiliate of France's Accor SA, to manage its apartments now being built in West Jakarta with an investment of Rp 125 billion (US$57 million).

Under a 15-year agreement signed yesterday, Accor is required to provide maintenance and security services for Ometraco's two 24-story towers of apartments and conduct leasing management of Tower Two, Ometraco's president, F.X. Boyke Gozali, told reporters.

Tower One of the apartment complex, called The Tropics, has 150 units and Tower Two has 204 units.

Gozali said that Tower One is 90 percent sold out under a strata title, while tower two will be marketed next year under a similar arrangement to buyers who will lease them to third parties.

"Leasing apartments has now become a new alternative for people who want to invest their money. They are likely to gain more than saving money at banks," Boyke said, adding that people who have bought units at Tower One have first priority in purchasing units at Tower Two.

He said that through the service management system applied by Accor, owners will be able to lease their apartments through Accor.

Accor's Indonesian chief representative, Marc Steinmeyer, said that the service will fill a niche between hotel services that cater to the needs of short staying guests and the demand of long-term tenants and residents.

"Tropics apartment will be in the same class as four-star hotels," he said, adding that both expatriates and domestic people visiting Jakarta for business will be the potential market for the apartments.(icn)